How much does a 20x20 screened-in porch cost?

HomeGuide publishes $4,000 to $10,000 to screen an existing 20x20 porch and $20,000 to $70,000 to build a new one, both including materials and labor. The 400-square-foot size is where the new-build roof line dominates the bill.

How much does a 12x12 screened-in porch cost?

HomeGuide's table reads $1,400 to $3,600 for screening an existing 12x12 porch and $7,200 to $25,200 for building one. A 12x16 runs $1,900 to $4,800 and $9,600 to $33,600 on the same HomeGuide table.

How much does it cost to rescreen a porch?

HomeGuide prices rescreening a porch at $2 to $4 per square foot — a fraction of the $10 to $25 it publishes for screening one the first time, because the framing is already there.

What is the difference between a screened porch and a lanai?

Mostly the word. HomeGuide prices a screened lanai on the identical table — $10 to $25 per square foot to screen an existing one, $50 to $175 to build new — and describes a lanai as a roofed porch attached to the house, typically screened, the term being Hawaiian and common in Florida.

How much does a screened-in porch cost?

Published August 21, 2026

Screening an existing porch costs $10 to $25 per square foot, and building a new screened-in porch $50 to $175 per square foot, per HomeGuide.

In totals, HomeGuide reads $2,000 to $5,000 to add screens to an existing 200-square-foot porch and $10,000 to $35,000 to build that porch from nothing. The gap is the floor and the roof: a porch with a slab and a roof already there needs framing, mesh and a door, and a porch that does not exist yet needs footings, posts, a roof structure and then all of that.

Source: HomeGuide

This page is general information, not professional advice. Prices move with the size and height of the structure, the screen chosen, your city's permit rules and the season, and the only number that counts is a written quote from a licensed contractor who has measured your yard.

Screened-in porch cost by size

Porch size	Screen an existing porch	Build a new screened porch
10 x 10 ft (100 sq ft)	$1,000 – $2,500	$5,000 – $17,500
12 x 12 ft (144 sq ft)	$1,400 – $3,600	$7,200 – $25,200
12 x 16 ft (192 sq ft)	$1,900 – $4,800	$9,600 – $33,600
16 x 16 ft (256 sq ft)	$2,600 – $6,400	$12,800 – $44,800
20 x 20 ft (400 sq ft)	$4,000 – $10,000	$20,000 – $70,000
24 x 24 ft (576 sq ft)	$5,800 – $14,400	$28,800 – $100,800

HomeGuide's published totals by porch size, for screening an existing roofed porch and for building new.

Source: HomeGuide

So a 20x20 screened-in porch is $4,000 to $10,000 if the porch is there and $20,000 to $70,000 if it is not, and a 12x12 is $1,400 to $3,600 against $7,200 to $25,200. The table is the per-square-foot band times the area, which is why the calculator on this site can price any size between the rows.

Source: HomeGuide

Screen porch cost per square foot, broken out

Line	Existing porch	New porch
Materials and screens	$6 – $15	$28 – $115
Labor to build	$4 – $10	$22 – $60
Total per square foot	$10 – $25	$50 – $175

HomeGuide's per-square-foot breakdown for each kind of job.

Source: HomeGuide

The roof is where a new build's money goes. HomeGuide prices a new gable roof for a screened porch at $70 to $155 per square foot for the whole structure, supports and shingles — $14,000 to $26,000 for a 200-square-foot porch under asphalt — against $20 to $60 per square foot for a flat vinyl or aluminum patio cover that does the same job more plainly. A building permit runs $200 to $500 on its figures, and the screen material itself is cheap: $0.20 to $0.35 per square foot for fiberglass, $0.45 to $0.75 for aluminum.

Source: HomeGuide

The inexpensive screened-in porch

The cheapest honest version is the existing-porch column with the cheapest screen and no door. HomeGuide notes that the cheapest screened porches have no doors at all — people enter through the house — and that fiberglass and aluminum mesh cost the least while copper costs the most. On an existing slab with a roof, a handyman at $50 to $80 per hour can install a prefabricated screen kit, on its figures.

Source: HomeGuide

If the porch has a roof and a floor, you are buying screens. If it does not, you are buying a room. Make sure the quote says which.

To price your own porch size from these published tables: the screen enclosure cost calculator.

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Questions people ask next

How much does a 20x20 screened-in porch cost?: HomeGuide publishes $4,000 to $10,000 to screen an existing 20x20 porch and $20,000 to $70,000 to build a new one, both including materials and labor. The 400-square-foot size is where the new-build roof line dominates the bill.
How much does a 12x12 screened-in porch cost?: HomeGuide's table reads $1,400 to $3,600 for screening an existing 12x12 porch and $7,200 to $25,200 for building one. A 12x16 runs $1,900 to $4,800 and $9,600 to $33,600 on the same HomeGuide table.
How much does it cost to rescreen a porch?: HomeGuide prices rescreening a porch at $2 to $4 per square foot — a fraction of the $10 to $25 it publishes for screening one the first time, because the framing is already there.
What is the difference between a screened porch and a lanai?: Mostly the word. HomeGuide prices a screened lanai on the identical table — $10 to $25 per square foot to screen an existing one, $50 to $175 to build new — and describes a lanai as a roofed porch attached to the house, typically screened, the term being Hawaiian and common in Florida.

Written for homeowners by Most Recommended Screen Enclosures, which measures which screen enclosure companies AI assistants actually recommend in 12 U.S. metros. Nobody can pay to be on those lists. How we measure.